By RUBY KEARCE
THE Ponce De Leon (PDL) City Council met for its regular monthly meeting on Tuesday, March 14. Mary Gavin approached the council regarding a grant application for utility and maintenance equipment that she had previously approached them about in December. This grant is for financing 75 percent of a project, with the city contributing at least 25 percent. PDL is seeking $73,700 from the USDA with the city’s contribution being 24,694 for a project total of $98,394. Gavin completed the application and submitted it to the USDA in January.
The requirements for the retrieval of this grant are a public meeting in order to address the status of the application, as well as resolutions for PDL’s mayor Shane Busby to have the authority to sign the documents, and for the acceptance of the grant total of $73,000. Due to Gavin not sending a printed version of the resolutions to the council, the resolutions have been tabled until the next regular city council meeting in April.
Holmes County Building Planner John Feeney approached the board regarding the controversial Family Dollar/Dollar Tree. The Holmes County Planning Commission has approved the project with a 3 – 1 vote, and Holmes County Commissioners approved the project with a 3 – 2 vote. The county commissioners approved with the stipulation that PDL verifies for the record that the city will issue a business license as well as provide water and sewer to the project, citing a letter that Perman Engineering received stating that both would be granted prior, to the community’s disagreement about the project. The letter, dated Sept. 26, 2022 read:
“This letter is to notify Holmes County that the town of Ponce De Leon is aware of the Family Dollar/ Dollar Tree located at 2919 North Highway Fl-81, Ponce De Leon Towns Council has agreed to issue a business license for the fiscal year of 2022/ 2023 The town of Ponce De Leon also agrees that the Holmes County Building department will be handling building inspections… The town of Ponce De Leon will only be responsible for water and sewer utility service to the Family Dollar/ Dollar Tree at the above mentioned address.” [end quote]
When asked if the water and sewer systems could handle the addition of the project, a representative for Jacobs stated that the wastewater plant is at approximately 40-percent capacity, and the water wells are at only 10-percent capacity, meaning the system has enough capacity to handle the addition of the project. Mayor Busby said, “Well I don’t think, legally, we have any reason not to,” regarding the acceptance of the business license and allowing access to the water and sewer system. A motion was passed affirming that the statements made in the letter are correct, meaning the business license and water and sewer usage is approved.
In other news, Town Clerk Jessica Harris, Assistant Town Clerk Tyler Nixon, Chairman Zack Williams, retiring town attorney Lyndia Spears, and Mayor Shane Busy recently sat down with a potential replacement to fill Spears’ position. There was only one application received for the position, and it was from Michelle Jordan, attorney for Bonifay, Vernon, and Jackson County. Jordan reportedly made good first impressions, but she can only be present for the first Tuesday or third Thursday of the month. A motion was passed to hire Jordan, as well as to move the meetings to the third Thursday of the month.
The Ponce De Leon Collard Festival is back and will be holding its next meeting on Monday, March 27 at 4:30 p.m. at the Ponce De Leon Town Hall. The committee is seeking more vendors and sponsors for the event. Anyone looking to become a vendor and sponsor is asked to attend the next meeting. For more information contact Councilwoman Kimbery Mason or Tyler Nixson at (850) 836-4361 or email townpdl10@gmail.com.